Alejandro Garnacho’s loan move to Aston Villa has yet to get off the ground, though the club could be obligated to sign him permanently if certain conditions are met

Former Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho will take confidence from scoring his first Aston Villa goal in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Southampton during the international break. The winger has endured a frustrating start to life at Villa Park following his loan switch from Chelsea.

Garnacho is yet to make a start under Unai Emery, featuring only as a substitute and accumulating 31 minutes of Premier League action so far this season. There had been expectations he would be handed an opportunity in Villa’s 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Coventry City, but he remained an unused substitute.

After leaving him out of the side, Emery delivered a clear message to the youngster, saying: “Continue working. Work, work, train, work. When he can have minutes to play, try to play well.

“He is progressing, but we have players in front of him now.”

Those players include academy prospects George Hemming, Ibrahim Mbaye and Alysson, all of whom have featured in recent matches while Garnacho has been left watching from the stands.

There has already been speculation that he could follow a similar path to Harvey Elliott, who spent last season on loan at Villa from Liverpool. Elliott made just five Premier League appearances during his spell, only one of which came as a starter.

However, Garnacho was among the players who remained at the club during the international break and was handed an opportunity in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Southampton. The winger seized his chance, scoring the only goal of the game in a performance that will have done his hopes of breaking into Emery’s plans no harm.

FOLLOW OUR MAN UNITED FB PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester United Facebook page

The strike could prove to be a turning point as Garnacho looks to establish himself at Villa Park and avoid a similarly frustrating loan spell. Elliott struggled for opportunities under Emery, who opted against using the Liverpool loanee regularly because a permanent transfer would have been triggered after 10 appearances.

Villa hold a conditional obligation to buy Garnacho at the end of the season for around £43million if certain clauses are met. The forward only left United last summer, joining Chelsea in a £40m move after his relationship with former head coach Ruben Amorim broke down.

There were hopes the switch to Stamford Bridge would reignite his career, but Garnacho struggled to make a significant impact in west London. Chelsea endured a disappointing campaign, finishing 10th in the Premier League and missing out on European football, while the winger found regular opportunities difficult to come by.

United will be keeping a close eye on Garnacho’s progress at Villa Park. If Villa were to trigger the clause to make his move from Chelsea permanent, Michael Carrick’s side would be due a windfall of around £300,000 thanks to the 10 per cent sell-on clause negotiated as part of his move to Stamford Bridge.

Asian Games 2026 LIVE Updates, India In Action On Day 8: India will aim for more medals as it begins its eighth day of action at the ongoing Asian Games. Squash will be in focus, with the nation eyeing a total of two gold medals. Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh will be playing their final matches in the men’s and women’s singles events, respectively. While the two have already assured India of two silvers, they will have a superb opportunity to change the colour of their medals. Meanwhile, Tejaswin Shankar will also aim for a podium finish in the final five events of the decathlon. In archery, both Indian women’s and men’s teams have qualified for the semifinals, with the women’s team also matching a world record. (Asian Games 2026 Medals Tally) 

Asian Game 2026, September 27 Results:

Surfing: Kamali Prakash, Sugar Shanti Gayen qualify for round 3 of women’s shortboard.

Surfing: Sivaraj Babu qualify for men’s shortboard Round 3 with victory over Davoud Khadir of Iran.

Archery: India beat UAE and Bhutan in Round of 16 and Quarterfinal respectivley to qualify for semifinals in men’s team event.

Archery: India beat Mongolia and Kazakhstan in Round of 16 and Quarterfinal respectively to qualify for semifinals in women’s team event.

Sepaktakraw: India were beaten by South Korea in women’s double Group B match.

Kurash: Sangita was handed a defeat by Charmea Quelino of Philippines in women’s -57kg round of 32 bout.

Badminton: Gayatri Gopichand-Treesa Jolly beaten in women’s doubles quarter-finals.

Here are the LIVE Scores and Updates from India’s action on Day 8 of Asian Games 2026:

Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn as “cowards” in response to fresh reports that their long-awaited showdown could be called off.

It was announced earlier this week that the two British heavyweights will finally collide on December 11, headlining a Netflix and Ring event at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

According to promotional material, it is a fight that has been 10 years in the works, essentially since ‘AJ’ claimed the IBF world title and Fury was serving a two-year doping ban.

Of course, the pair have not been in negotiations for that long but, still, there have been multiple failed attempts at getting their domestic dustup over the line.

And now, despite the arrival of an official announcement, it would appear that certain issues behind the scenes could prevent the fight from taking place.

One of which could be the ambiguous involvement of Zuffa Boxing promoter Dana White, who Matchroom boss Hearn has repeatedly attempted to block from negotiations, pointing out that the contract prohibits him promoting the event.

Whatever the specifics, though, Fury has taken to social media and accused Joshua and Hearn of looking for a way out.

“Breaking news: Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn are trying to pull out this fight. They’re saying they’re not gonna fight now; they’re little s**thouse cowards.

“It’s mainly to do with Eddie Hearn’s ego – he’s making up a million different things and threatening ‘we’re not gonna fight’. You little coward.

“AJ, pull your finger out you little white flag, yellow belly coward. The Gypsy King is coming back to the UK to thrash you in front of all my fans in Wales.

“Now you’ve got Turki Alalshikh finding alternative, real men who will fight at the drop of a hat … I’ve never seen anything like this, and it’s mainly to do with Eddie Hearn’s ego.”

In terms of “alternative” opponents, Fury is perhaps referring to a bizarre social media post by The Ring’s Mike Coppinger, who claims that unified cruiserweight champion David Benavidez is being explored as a replacement for Joshua.

Paige is currently at odds with WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella. The two women have continued to take shots at each other on social media.

At SummerSlam, The Bella Twins turned on The Anti-Diva following their loss to Fatal Influence in a six-woman tag team match. Brie was injured that night, turning the feud into a singles program between Paige and Nikki.

On the September 11 episode of SmackDown in Mexico City, the two women finally collided in a one-on-one showdown, where Nikki Bella scored a quick win over her rival.

After defeating The Anti-Diva, Nikki has turned her attention to the WWE Women’s Championship. The Fearless One confronted the reigning champion, Chelsea Green, and made it clear that she was coming after the title.

On the September 25 episode of SmackDown, Nikki interfered in the six-woman tag team match between Fatal Influence and the team of Chelsea, Paige, and Tiffany Stratton, and cost the babyfaces the bout.

Before the show, Nikki Bella posted an update on X from her hotel room. The Hall of Famer had a complaint about the dirty window in her room, for which she blamed Chelsea Green and Paige.

“Besides my window being terribly dirty… sure Chelsea or even Paige had something to do with that… I am sipping on an absolutely delicious iced PSL from Chronic Coffee. 🤤 Now time for a good sweat sesh. Good Morning Indianapolis!,” Nikki wrote.

The Anti-Diva responded to Nikki’s post, suggesting she upgrade her hotel.

“Get a nicer hotel “superstar””, Paige responded.

Nikki Bella addresses the criticism over her WWE Women’s Title pursuit

When Nikki Bella announced that she was coming after the WWE Women’s Championship, it wasn’t received well among fans on social media. Many questioned why the Hall of Famer was challenging for the title in 2026.

Nikki addressed this on The Nikki & Brie Show. She said:

“I’m sure there’s a ton of like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ I think I saw one, like, ‘Don’t tell me in 2026 Nikki Bella is going for the title.’ That’s like always. It’s like, actually, you’re talking about it. So yeah, I am. You’re welcome,” she said.

It remains to be seen if Nikki Bella can capture the WWE Women’s Championship in the near future.